Toowoomba Inland Rail terminal positions the city as Queensland's premier inland freight hub

The Inland Rail project, connecting Melbourne to Brisbane via an inland corridor that bypasses the congested coastal route, positions Toowoomba as a critical logistics hub in Australia's national freight network. The project's Queensland section passes through the Toowoomba region, and the terminal and intermodal facilities associated with the project are expected to generate substantial freight activity and associated employment in and around the city.

The Second Range Crossing, which provides a modern highway connection over the Great Dividing Range and into Toowoomba from the east, has already enhanced the city's freight accessibility and enabled the development of logistics facilities on Toowoomba's eastern approaches that leverage the improved road connection. The combination of improved road access and the anticipated Inland Rail connectivity creates a freight infrastructure proposition that is attracting significant warehouse and distribution investment to the Toowoomba area.

Agricultural freight is central to Toowoomba's logistics story. The Darling Downs' grain, cotton, livestock and horticultural production is channelled through Toowoomba on its way to ports and domestic markets, making the city an essential point in Queensland's agricultural supply chain. The Inland Rail connection is expected to enhance the competitiveness of Darling Downs agricultural producers by reducing the freight cost of accessing markets on both sides of the Melbourne-Brisbane corridor.

The regional economic development opportunity associated with Toowoomba's freight hub positioning has attracted attention from state and local government, with both levels supporting the development of the Toowoomba Logistics Precinct and related industrial land to maximise the benefits of the city's infrastructure advantage. Early movers in the logistics and warehousing sectors are already establishing in the precinct.

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